Gaara Makes A Friend
by Nikkel
Summary: Sometimes, one friend is all we need.


**Gaara Makes A Friend  
><strong>_By Nikkel  
><em>(c) to Masashi Kishimoto  
>118/2006

* * *

><p>The chains to the swing set clinked together, holding up several seats. Most of them were empty except for one, where a little, red-haired boy sat. He hugged a light brown teddy bear to his chest, observing from afar at the other children across the playground. The sand swirled around his sandaled feet, the breeze blowing calmly through the Land of Wind. The youngster did not join the rest of the kids in their game of tossing a ball from one to another, sea foam blue eyes watching as the red rubber object flew through the crystal sky and landed into the hands of others.<p>

The little boy bowed his head, noticing that his feet did not touch the ground. His cheek rested against the teddy bear's head, feeling its soft and fuzzy texture. Other than his stuffed friend, he was alone. He did not watch as the other children laughed and ran around, enjoying themselves like they had no care in the world. They did not know about what dangers lurked in the dark, what kind of demons could murder them in their sleep like he did.

There was only one person he knew in the world that actually cared for him, and that was Yashamaru, his aunt and caretaker. She was kind to him and really did not seem to fear of what kind of monster lived inside him, unlike his brother and sister. Yashamaru was almost like a mother to him, someone he had never been able to meet. However, Yashamaru was not always around, meaning that he would have to spend periods of time alone with his teddy. She was, afterall, a ninja of the sand, and had duties to perform under the little boy's father, the Kazekage.

"Hi!"

The pale-skinned youngling gazed up from the dirt floor, meeting a girl with a pleasant smile. Wisps of bleach blonde hair wafted in her face, cerulean blue eyes looking into his own. Her hands were behind her back, turning to the side and scaling his body up and down. He continued to watch her, her braid flowing down her back as she wore plain white tunic and shorts. Despite the dirt around her ankles, the little boy felt intrigued by her appearance, mouth slightly agape.

"I like your teddy. Does he have a name?" the little girl pointed at the bear in the boy's arms, curious. He glanced down at it, and then back up at the girl. He nodded without a word.

"What is it? My name is Ruen." She introduced, and this time he replied.

"My name is Gaara of the Desert. And this is Boro." The red-headed kid tightened his grip on the stuffed animal, not so sure how this child would react. All the other ones knew of his anti-social behavior, and how he was even feared by even some of the strongest shinobi in all of the village. They normally stayed away from him, knowing he could attack them at any moment. But not this girl, no. Not this girl.

"Aren't you ever lonely? Sitting here by yourself?" Ruen sat herself on the swing to the right of him, the chains rattling. Gaara watched as she swung gently back and forth, kicking up the dust. His eyes darted back to the circle of children, who did not seem to notice one missing member of their game.

"Why don't you swing with me? Sitting there has got to be kind of boring. How 'bout you put Boro down for now and we can swing together?" Ruen suggested, and Gaara hesitated. He then bounced off the swing, deciding to set Boro right next to the rail of set. Its button black eyes kept watch over him, although Gaara knew that once he and this girl had their little swing he would pick Boro right back up again.

Gaara positioned himself back on the seat, and he looked at Ruen expectantly. She continued with that soft smile of hers, eyes glittering. "If you want to go forward, put your legs out straight. To go back, put them down again. Repeat it over and over, and you'll go higher and higher." Ruen instructed, and Gaara shook his head yes. He did as he was told, slowly at first, hardly moving three inches. He then began to go higher and higher, as did Ruen.

The little boy actually smiled as the wind met his smooth face, the sun shining down upon the two kids. His scarf around his neck flew back and forth as did he on the swing, the sand below his feet puffing out as he skimmed the wind near it. Gaara had never really swung before or had wanted to. He didn't know why, and it wasn't because he didn't know how. He just didn't want to be alone, because to him, it was not just that he was an outcast, but what he did as an outcast. That did not matter at the moment, for he felt an emotion rise inside him that he had not felt before.

And that emotion was happiness.

Gaara turned his head to look at Ruen, her eyes closed and mouth open as her laugh carried through the air. The braid that trailed down her back flew this way and that as did his scarf. With the sun shining on her, Gaara had a moment of another feeling, this one more confusing than the last. Either way it felt good to him, something he didn't often feel.

The two children eventually became in sync with one another, swinging side by side at the same pace and slow enough so they could carry on a conversation.

"What else do you like to do for fun?" Gaara asked in a tiny voice, not used to talking to people except Yashamaru.

"I don't know. I wanna become a ninja one day." Ruen answered. Gaara nodded. "My brother and sister are ninja. And so is my dad. I don't wanna become a ninja." He said, and looked back down at the ground.

Ruen cocked her head, interested in what Gaara had to say. He continued to stare at his sandals as he spoke. "I gots a demon inside me. If I become a ninja, the demon gets stronger. I don't want it to get stronger. So I won't be a ninja."

"Seems okay. But I wanna become a ninja 'cause I wanna protect my village. That's what my daddy says. And my mommy." Ruen said, and Gaara smiled ever so slightly. The smile, however, disappeared after a few moments of thought.

"You like your family, don't you?" The little boy's voice was sad, almost disappointing. Ruen didn't notice as she replied with, "Yep. I love my mommy, I love my daddy, and I love everything and everyone I meet. That's my ninja code."

"Ninja code?" Gaara mused, never hearing of such a thing. Ruen nodded, slowing down the pace of her swing just a little bit.

"Yeah. You know, something you live by for the rest of your _entire _life. Or, the rest of your ninja life. If you change your mind and become one."

Little Gaara bit his lower lip, now beginning to contemplate on actually becoming a ninja. Perhaps he and this Ruen could become shinobi together, fighting side by side against any village that opposed them. Ruen would keep this feeling he had while he swung alive, and keep the bad feeling of the demon inside him away.

"Then I wanna love everyone too." Gaara concluded, and Ruen grinned at him. "I think that's a good idea. Everyone should love everyone, right?"

"Uh-huh." Gaara nodded. "But… how do you get love to give to everyone else?"

Ruen shrugged. "I don't know. You just… _do._" She replied, which didn't help Gaara all that much.

After several minutes of silence Ruen dragged her feet across the ground, coming to an abrupt halt. Gaara did the same. She hopped off her seat and faced the little boy, who was now sitting still on the swing again.

"I gotta go home. Will you be here tomorrow?" Ruen asked, hopeful.

"Me and Boro are here everyday." Gaara answered.

"Good. I can bring a snack for us. Do you like rice cakes?" Ruen questioned.

"Uh-huh."

"Then I can bring some. My mommy makes them really good."

"Okay."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow… Gaara. I promise."

"Yeah. I promise too, Ruen."

Gaara watched as Ruen walked away, leaving him somewhat confused and curious about what this girl had to offer to him. She was simple and innocent, something he was not. Not only that, but she was kind to him like Yashamaru was, and that was something he liked about her. Gaara walked back over to Boro and picked him up in his skinny arms, deciding to go home and tell Yashamaru about his new friend.

The path home was lonely, anyone walking past him instantly darting out of the way. Everyone in the village was afraid of him. He could hear their mutters in the shadows, whispering on about what a dreadful child he was and how he should have never been born. Gaara gradually learned to ignore these hurtful whispers, but it was difficult. Every time he heard an intake of breath or a slight yelp from a passerby it stung the area in his chest on the left side: his heart. And each time it his heart hurt, the he could feel the demon pulse within him.

He entered through the ragged towel that served as a door on nice days in the Sand Village, finding Yashamaru peacefully on the couch, reading a magazine. She turned her head and waved to him, setting her magazine down on the coffee table and approaching him.

"How was your day, Lord Gaara? Are you hungry?" she asked him, already heading to the kitchen to fix a dish of tempura for him.

"I made a friend." He said as he sat down at the table, smiling. Yashamaru looked surprisingly over at him, certainly not expecting this news.

"Well," she turned back to the making the tempura. "What's his name?"

"It's a girl. Her name's Ruen. And she's really pretty." Gaara answered, and Yashamaru laughed, wanting to make Gaara feel good about himself.

"She's got blonde hair and blue eyes. She lives in the Sand Village too. She wants to become a ninja. She also wants to love everyone." Gaara continued, the feeling from what he got on the swing set not going away until he was able to get everything about Ruen out to Yashamaru.

"Love everyone, eh? That's quite a feat if you ask me. But, if she can do it, she can do it!" Yashamaru raised an eyebrow at this, and then chuckled.

"Yep. And I'm gonna see her again tomorrow. She promised me." Gaara said, and Yashamaru let the tempura sizzle on the stove as she observed Gaara over the counter. Boro sat comfortably on the table next to him, floppy head tilted to the side.

"Really?" Yashamaru asked.

"Uh-huh." Gaara nodded. "And she's really nice. Like you, Yashamaru."

"That's good. I like it that you made a friend, Gaara."

"Me too. It feels… happy." The little boy finally found the word he had been searching for, not entirely sure how to explain what he felt except that word alone.

"Happy is good, Gaara. Happy is good." Yashamaru stated, hoping that for once Gaara could become a normal boy and not be dragged down by his inner thoughts. But she knew that that part of him would never change, emotionally disturbed forever until the day he died.

The day carried into the evening as Gaara ate his tempura and went to his room, looking outside the window at dusk. He sat cross-legged on his bed, the rays of orange sunlight streaming in through his window, Boro hugged tightly to his chest. Gaara rested his chin on the teddy bear's head, sighing heavily. Ruen still floated around his mind, her laugh echoing in his ears. He had never heard a laugh so pure and carefree, and wished he could laugh like that too.

…

The red-headed boy approached the swing set again to find his new friend already there in her swing, leaving the one he had sat in yesterday open. She waved to him as she had already begun swinging back and forth, beaming. The sun was shining again today with some parting clouds in the sky as Gaara set Boro down to watch them, hopping onto his seat and beginning to move his legs like he had yesterday.

"I didn't think you would come back." He said, and Ruen laughed. "Of course I would. I promised, remember?"

Gaara felt a heat sensation run across his cheeks. "Right." He said, absolutely forgetting about it.

Ruen did not say anymore as the couple began to swing, watching as the other children began to emerge and form a group in the center of the playground. They tossed the rubber ball like they had yesterday back and forth, not wishing to include Gaara in it whatsoever. He did not mind it so much now that he had Ruen with him, keeping him company, which was something he didn't get that often.

The clouds shifted in the cobalt sky as did the morning sun to high noon, when the sand beneath their feet became the hottest. Gaara looked over at the pole on Ruen's side of the swing set, noticing a wicker basket with a blanket lain neatly on top of it. It was then that he remembered the rice cakes she had also promised to bring, which warmed his heart again with happiness. Oh how he loved the happiness, and oh how much he was beginning to love Ruen.

The two came to a halt and Ruen went to lay the blanket down on the sand, dusting away whatever piece of dirt that fell onto its silky texture. She took off her dirty sandals and set them next to the blanket, reaching over so she could grab the basket and set it before her and Gaara. He watched in silence as she opened it, pulling out two identical rice cakes, looking like they had been made that morning.

Gaara carefully unwrapped the plastic around the food, his stomach growling. He had not eaten breakfast in excitement of seeing his new friend again, wishing to greet her as soon as possible. He at first took a nibble at the rice cake, unsure of how it would taste, when the sweet taste of fresh rice ran across his lips.

"This is really good." He complimented, and it was Ruen's turn to blush. "Thank you. It's a family recipe." She said, and Gaara smiled, closing his eyes gleefully as he did so.

"Then it's really good. I like it a lot, Ruen." He complimented again, biting into the rice cake once more. After he was finished with it Ruen pulled out another one for him, knowing that they were both hungry for food. The minutes ticked by as the two children carried on a simple-minded conversation about the rice cakes, each saying what foods they liked and what foods they didn't like. They were off in their own little world compared to the other kids on the playground, something that should be rewarded and looked upon by others.

Ruen stopped as she looked up from her rice cake, swallowing the last bite she had taken. Three girls were approaching them, and by the looks of them, they were not very pleasant.

"Hey_ Ruen_. What you doing hanging out with a brat like Gaara?" the leader of the pack asked, eyes leering at the girl on the blanket. Ruen stood up, not wanting Gaara to get involved.

"Go away, Domino. I'm having a picnic." Ruen defended, when one of the girls came up and kicked sand onto the blanket. Gaara stopped as the dirt landed on his rice cake, only half eaten. He glared dangerously up at her, not wanting to hurt her.

"Doesn't look like a picnic anymore." The other girl sneered, and Ruen frowned. "I said go away. Me and Gaara are having a picnic." She repeated, and Domino laughed it off, her cronies following.

"You and Gaara? He's your boyfriend now?" Domino chuckled, tilting her head back and laughing to the sky. "Ha! It makes sense since you're both so ugly!" Ruen clenched her fist, daring Domino into a fight. They were only eight years old, but issues had already arisen between the two and Ruen was not about to back down. Gaara watched, eager to get involved, but chose to keep himself quiet. What Gaara didn't expect, however, was Ruen to push Domino a step or two back, shouting, "Go away!" Domino scowled and pushed Ruen back twice as hard, meaning to knock her down onto the hard ground.

A wave of sand suddenly shot up from beneath Ruen, breaking her fall from the tough surface. Gaara's hand remained poised as he was standing and held Ruen in the seat, glaring at Domino and her bully friends. Without a word he could say what he meant, and the girls turned off, shrieking, "It's the monster! He's attacking! Run away! Ahh!"

Gaara sighed to himself, knowing that he should be used to those kinds of screams. The sand set Ruen precariously back onto her feet, making sure she was all right. The little boy turned and began to walk back to the swing set, Boro held limply in his hand. He felt ashamed and embarrassed, knowing that he shouldn't have intervened between the girls. It only caused him pain and suffering, something he didn't want but always had.

Lonely again the youngest child of the Kazekage sat the wooden seat of the swing, Boro clutched to his chest. There was no wind to whisper into his ear, but the sound of footsteps approached him, causing him to look up and blink several times.

It was Ruen.

"What's wrong, Gaara?" she asked softly, peering up to his shady eyes. She knew that the eyelids and area around his eyes were black, but did not question why. He was frowning and appeared to be holding back tears, biting his lip as not to do so. He could not look at her, the happiness feeling she had once brought now lost. He was filled with sadness again, and Ruen reached out to grab his hand.

Gaara flinched at the touch. "It's okay, I understand." Ruen comforted, smiling ever so slightly. Gaara stared at her, not believing what she was saying. His eyes demanded an explanation of what she meant. He himself did not fully understand what he was going through.

Ruen sat on the swing, beginning to push her legs back and forth at a slow pace. "You're a boy with a demon inside him." She simply stated, and Gaara shook his head. He refused to let go of Boro.

"It's more complicated." He answered, not looking at her shining figure. She was toying at him, where she had that ability to stand there in all her golden light, pure of form, and he was stuck in the darkness, doomed forever.

"Well then… tell me." Ruen said, and Gaara raised what could have been an eyebrow at her. "Just… tell you?" he questioned, not sure if she fully understood what kind of demon was locked inside of his small body. Ruen nodded.

"It's something called a Shu…Shu…Shukaku. And it's the demon of the sand. It killed my mom…" Gaara's voice dropped dramatically, even if he had not said that much at all. "…I killed my mom…"

Ruen gasped, a hand rushing up to her lips. Gaara remained motionless on his swing, knowing that any second now Ruen would run away in fear. But she didn't and hopped off her swing, coming up to him again.

"That must've been awful." Ruen sympathized, and suddenly reached out and hugged Gaara, crystal green eyes wide with surprise. He felt his cheeks tinge red again, the happiness feeling slowly returning to him. Ruen embraced him for a long time, leaving Gaara both curious and confused on what more this girl had to offer. She already made him happy, what more could she do for him?

Ruen finally released, and Gaara kept his head bowed. He felt like crying, but did not.

**...**

The days gradually went by and the little boy and girl became friends, meeting one another by the swing set every morning. The two sat next to each other from dawn to dusk, snacking on yummy rice cakes while the cute teddy bear watched. Domino and her friends dared not to go near them, in fear of Gaara hurting them.

Gaara occasionally glanced over at Ruen one particular evening, the sun setting just right so when she swung up, her skin was golden and her hair shimmering with beauty. He found her absolutely astounding, white clothing swishing back and forth as well as her single braid. He began to think more and more about her shinobi code and what it meant to love someone, thinking that he could try it one day like he had promised. The two children had gotten along so well together and wanted to remain friends, Ruen getting Gaara to smile and make him feel good.

While the couple were lost in their contentment, they did not see the dark shadow stretch across the playground. The sunset was behind the tall man, peering at the little girl and boy on the swing set. The other children had already gone home, for the night had begun to sink in. The figure approached the swing set, muscular arms folded across his broad chest. He glared at Ruen, who had come to a complete halt on her swing.

"It's time to go home, Ruen." The man spoke in a deep voice, and Ruen lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Please don't be mad at me, daddy." She replied in a weak tone, knowing what was coming. Gaara stopped his swinging as well, hoping what was coming did not happen.

"He's a monster. Let's go!" Ruen's father grabbed her by the arm, his hand fitting fully around it. He did not bother to take the basket Ruen usually had the rice cakes in.

"Daddy, let go! Gaara is not a monster, he's a very nice boy!" Ruen defended, trying to get away from her dad's clutches. He did not let go. Instead, he leered into her eyes, spitting, "He has a name? What kind of wretched _devil _has a name? You are to never speak to him, see him, talk about him, or think about him again. He has poisoned you, Ruen! And one day, his death will come and you will not feel resentment for him!"

Ruen's father dragged his daughter away and back into the sunset, cursing Gaara for what he was. Ruen looked over her shoulder, sapphire blue eyes glittering with diamond tears as she saw Gaara's face go from complete serenity to utter anger. The sands near him rose up in a flurry, eyes growing wide with hatred. She had seen betrayed look on him before and knew that he meant to kill, and to kill meant her father.

"Gaara! No!" she shouted, and for a split moment she saw a flash dash across his eyes. The sands did not rest, the wind rising up around the small child. Ruen shook her head, her father still dragging her along.

"No…" she whispered, and the dirt gradually settled again. Gaara plopped down onto the ground, staring at Ruen with hurt and perplexity. She shook her head again, a teardrop rolling down her flawless cheek. The boy could read what it said in her eyes and on her lips, which was: "If you kill my father, you're killing me. Please don't kill him. Please don't kill me."

Like he had done before and was doing more often, Gaara turned his back so he could face the shadows. If Ruen had not been so kind to him, he would have killed her and her father. Or perhaps just her father, like he had intended. Gaara didn't know anymore as he could hear her sniffle and walk away, snatching Boro with his knees up to his chest. The sand carefully ran over his skin as to comfort him like Ruen had the other day by hugging him, but it was not the same. The sand had no warming texture to it, no true love for him.

He was alone again, this poor little boy by the name of Gaara. He was alone and had no one in the world to talk to again, and so he bowed his head in his knees and the teddy bear…

…And cried.


End file.
